Yearning for a cream-filled spongey snack but afraid it won’t be calorific enough? Try the Deep Fried Twinkie.
Hostess Brands, maker of the original 1930s treat, just released the packaged frozen product as part of a collaboration with Wal-Mart’s food lab, an initiative that fast tracks “innovative products” to customers.
A longtime staple of state fairs across America, the deep-fried Twinkie weighs in at nine grams of fat and 220 calories, according to the Associated Press — significantly less than other fair favorites such as a double bacon corn dog (around 500 calories), a sugar-coated funnel cake (750 calories), or a giant turkey leg (1,100 calories). By comparison, a non-deep-fried Twinkie has only 4 grams of fat and 130 calories.
“It has a retro cool factor," Ellen Copaken, vice president of marketing at Hostess, told AP. "And it's fun."
So far, consumers seem to agree:
Deep-Fried Twinkies are available exclusively at Wal-Mart for the next three months, but will be rolled out to other stores after that. And, at less than $5 for a box of seven, you’ll still be able to afford that ticket to the state fair. Or a quick class at the gym.
